Walter Soplata, owner of the secret backyard Ohio warplane collection, died earlier this month at the age of 87. His family has not said what would happen to his cache, but several of his "saves" will fly again.

Soplata's collection was famed in parts of Ohio; the family had allowed visitors until recent years when his health began to decline. While the collection at one point may have numbered more than 60 planes, Soplata had sold several in recent years to cover bills. Among those was the B-25 Mitchell dubbed "Wild Cargo," which Soplata bought from a sheriff's auction after a 1963 crash in Cincinnati, where it was hauling snakes and alligators. Restored recently by Virginia-based Fighter Factory, the B-25 flies again, just as Soplata wanted: